Source: THE SCHOOL
OF JESUS CRUCIFIED, Fr. Ignatius of the Side of Jesus, TAN
BOOKS,
with Nihil Obstat and
Imprimatur, 1895

1. The Wounds of Jesus Christ bear eternal
testimony to His infinite love for us, and are
fountains of Charity, according to the
expression of St. Bernard. And, in fact, what stronger proofs could
we have of the infinite love of Jesus than those five Wounds, which He
permitted to be made in His hands, feet, and side, that in them, as in
so many written words, we might read the immensity of His love? One
single
drop of His most precious Blood would have been sufficient, and a
thousand
times more than sufficient, for our Redemption, but not for His love.
It
was His Will that His Blood should flow from five copious fountains,
that
so He might shed every drop of it for our salvation. Yet more; no
sooner
had our loving Redeemer breathed His last, than, in order to make us
understand
that His love was stronger than death, He permitted His side to be
opened
with a spear, and His sacred Heart pierced with a deep wound, that so
He
might bestow upon us the few remaining drops of Blood which the
scourges
and nails had failed to draw forth from His veins. "It was not so much
the lance," says St. Cyprian, "which inflicted the Wound upon the side
of Jesus, as His love for us." The lance was but the instrument of His
love, which was desirous of thus bestowing His Heart upon us. Oh, how
loudly
do these Wounds proclaim to us that great, or rather, infinite, has
been
the love of Jesus for us! How strongly do they remind us of all He has
suffered for our salvation! It has been the will of Jesus to preserve
in
His glorified Body the marks of His Wounds as a perpetual remembrance
of
the great love He has borne us, and of all He has done for our sakes,
and
as incentives to urge Him to do yet more, and preserve and increase in
us the gifts of His grace. Now, how is it possible that with so many
incentives
to love, our hearts should still remain cold, and unwilling even
sometimes
to remember, reflect upon, venerate, honor, and love the adorable
Wounds
of so loving a Redeemer? Jesus has purchased our hearts and affections
at the exorbitant price of His Wounds and Blood, and shall we refuse to
give them to Him, shall we refuse to employ our hearts in loving Him,
and
our affections in honoring and venerating His most holy Wounds? Such
fearful
ingratitude on the part of a Christian would indeed be most painful to
the sweet and adorable Heart of Jesus! And, in fact, the most acute and
bitter anguish endured by that sacred Heart, was, says St. Bernard,
caused
by the thought of the ingratitude of man, who would so seldom call to
mind
His Wounds and His Passion. Dedicate your heart, then, with the
tenderest
feelings of devotion, to the Wounds of your Redeemer, which are the
everlasting
pledges of His love for you. Imitate the example of St. Augustine, who
used to beseech Jesus Crucified to inscribe His sacred Wounds in his
heart
with one of His blood-stained nails, that he might thus have these
marks
of the love of his God continually present to his mind.

2. The Wounds of Jesus are fountains of
Grace, Mercy, and Salvation. From them did the price of our Redemption
flow, to satisfy Divine Justice for our sins. From them flowed forth
the plenitude of the Divine benedictions and mercies, by which our
souls
were to be enriched, and their salvation rendered an infinitely less
arduous
task. From them did the Sacraments derive their thrice-blessed
origin---the
Sacraments which cleanse, purify, and sanctify us, and the celestial
waters
of which irrigate our hearts with their precious streams, and impart
fecundity
to the vineyard of Holy Church. These Wounds constitute an asylum, in
which
we may take refuge, lest we perish with the reprobate, and lose our
souls.
They are the dearest, and at the same time the most secure pledges of
our
eternal salvation, which Jesus has bestowed upon us. Whoever desires to
know how great was, and is, the anxiety of Jesus for our salvation,
need
but look at His most sacred Wounds. What deep emotions of gratitude
ought
not such reflections to awaken in the hearts of all Christians? What
affection,
what tender devotion, ought they not to feel towards these most holy
Wounds?
How earnestly should they strive to love and adore them with the utmost
reverence, and thus give expression to their unbounded gratitude.
Blessed
James of Bevagna, being disturbed by fears concerning his salvation,
implored
Jesus to bestow upon him a pledge of Heaven, the sole object of his
desires.
His loving Lord, to console him, gave him a paper signed with the Blood
that flowed from His Wounds, saying, "Let this Blood be to thee a
pledge
of thy salvation."

3. The Wounds of Jesus furnish us with
powerful motives for hope. Our divine Redeemer has been pleased to
retain
the marks of His Wounds in His glorified Body, in order to inspire
sinners
with confidence. His office in Heaven, says St. Paul, is to make
continual
intercession for us to His Eternal Father. His Wounds are so many
tongues
ever speaking in our favor. He offers them to His Father, imploring His
clemency in our behalf, with powerful efficacy. If our sins demand
vengeance,
the Wounds of Jesus cry out still more loudly for pity and mercy, and
the
voice of His Wounds drowns the voice of our sins. They make reparation
for those offenses which would otherwise call down the just anger of
God
upon sinners. They fulfill the merciful office of perpetual advocates
and
intercessors in our behalf, and implore grace and mercy for us. Let us,
then, unite our supplications to their powerful voices, and when we
pray
and ask favors through the merits of these Wounds, we may be sure of
obtaining
all that we ask. Let us, then, unite ourselves closely to the most holy
Wounds of our Saviour; let us have recourse to them with lively hope
and
entire confidence, and doubt not that our prayers will be heard. For us
have these Wounds been made, and for our sakes has Jesus retained them
as marks of glory, to make known to us that our names being thus
inscribed
in characters of blood, He will never forget us. "No," says St.
Augustine,
"our Lord willeth not the eternal loss of those souls which He has
purchased
at so dear a rate." "Jesus," adds St. Bernard, "was pleased to ascend
into
Heaven with His arms and hands extended, that all might see His sacred
Wounds, and seeing, might adore them, and adoring, might place all
their
hopes in them."

4. Through the Wounds of Jesus Christ we
have been reconciled to God, our sins have been pardoned, and we have
been
released from those bonds which detained our souls in a state of
servitude
to the Devil. By the Blood that flowed from these adorable Wounds were
our sins remitted, our souls purified from their stains, and the life
of
grace bestowed on penitent sinners. Through these precious Wounds the
decree
of our condemnation has been canceled, and the merciful sentence of our
pardon and absolution written in its stead.

<>However great may be our debts, we may find
in the Wounds of our Crucified Jesus wherewith to pay to the full all
that
may be owing by sinful men to Divine justice. The sacred bank is open,
the ransom-money ready, and whoever refuses to profit by it must be
resolved
to die in his sins. Does your conscience reproach you with the enormity
of your sins, and the slightness of the penance you have done for them?
Take courage, fear not, hasten to the Wounds of Jesus, and there you
will
find wherewith to make atonement. Draw nigh to those Wounds with faith
and love, bury your sins in them with feelings of heartfelt contrition,
wash yourself in the Divine Blood flowing from them, and you will be
cleansed
from all your stains. But whoever, on the other hand, is obstinate in
sin,
or refuses to have recourse to the Wounds of his Redeemer, will close
to
himself those fountains of pardon and reconciliation, and be lost for
all
eternity. At the hour of death, he will hear these severe words of
reproof
from the lips of his wounded Lord: "These Wounds were the work of thy
hands---for
thy sake were they made---and yet thou wouldst not
even so much as look at them, much less approach, and hide thyself
within
them." And what could we, wretched creatures, answer at that awful
moment?
Let us then at once provide against so fearful a misfortune, and devote
all the love and affection of our hearts to the most holy Wounds of
Jesus
Christ.

5. The Wounds of Jesus invite us to repentance,
inspire us with horror for sin, and produce in us a change of life.
Even the hard-hearted crucifiers of Jesus, on beholding Him dead and
covered
with wounds, were touched at the sight, repented, and shed tears of
compunction.
And is there a man to be found, who, on contemplating the Wounds of his
Crucified Lord, recognizing in them the work of his hands, the effect
of
his malice, and the malignity of his sins, which, like cruel
executioners,
inflicted such Wounds---is there a man, I say, who
will not be moved to repentance? Can any one behold the excruciating
torments
endured by his mangled Lord, see such copious streams of Blood flowing
from His lacerated limbs and pierced Heart, and not bitterly bewail his
sins with tears of sorrow? Can anyone have the heart to renew by sin
those
Wounds which Jesus was pleased to receive in His blessed Body, on
account
of sin? Are you really anxious to amend? Do you sincerely desire to
bewail
your ill-spent life? Never allow a day to pass without a few moments'
contemplation
of the Wounds of your Redeemer, and you will there behold how great an
evil sin is, which inflicted on your soul wounds that could not be
healed
but with the salutary balm distilled from the Wounds of the Son of God.
These Wounds will also show you how great is the hatred God bears to
sin,
since He visited it with such severity upon the humanity of His only
begotten
Son. How would it be possible for any Christian, who often contemplates
Jesus fastened with nails to the Cross, and pierced with the lance, to
take pleasure in those sins which inflicted such Wounds upon the Son of
God? Could such a man commit sin, and not rather be filled with the
deepest
abhorrence for it? But we must contemplate Him attentively, and for a
due
space of time, not hurriedly and with a mere passing glance, as was
done
on Mount Calvary by the Pharisees, who yet remained as hardened and
obstinate
as ever. Earthly goods allure, our passions seduce us, and sin
tyrannizes
over us, only because we do not fix the eyes of our mind upon the
Wounds
of our Crucified Jesus. Penance alarms us, and we regard it almost with
horror, solely because we do not consider how much suffering, and how
many
wounds were inflicted upon Jesus for sins not His own. Frequently read
the enormity of your sins in the Wounds of your Crucified Lord, and you
will detest and do penance for them.

6. The Wounds of Jesus make known the infinite
value of Heaven, which they have opened to us.
Heaven is the price of the Wounds and Blood
of the Son of God. Jesus Christ did not think the sovereign beatitude
and
glory of Heaven too dearly purchased at the price of unspeakable
tortures,
and by suffering His sacred flesh to be mangled by nails, thorns, and
scourges.
Great indeed must be the value of that which cost the Son of God so
dear!
And yet we esteem it so little, as to be even ready to renounce our
claim
to it, as, in fact, so many of us do, for the sake of some wretched
plea-
sure or despicable interest! Ye blind and deluded children of men,
contemplate
the Wounds of your Crucified God, and see in what manner the gates of
the
kingdom of glory have been opened to you! See what it has cost Him to
place
you in possession of it, and understand, if possible, how infinite a
benefit
was bestowed upon you by the Son of God when He purchased for you
Heaven,
which you had lost by sin! St. Bernard, being greatly disturbed at the
hour of death by a strong temptation to fear that he never should
obtain
Heaven, put the tempter to flight with these words: "It is true that
what
I have done to gain Heaven is nothing; it is also true that I am
undeserving
of it; but I hope to obtain it because the Blood and Wounds of my
Redeemer
have purchased it for me." Enter in spirit into these sacred Wounds,
and
you will comprehend the value and sublimity of that eternal felicity
which
they have acquired for you, and you will learn to detach your heart
from
the earth and from creatures, so as to place all your affections and
desires
upon Heaven. Be filled with gratitude for those adorable Wounds, which
have purchased such a treasure for you, and frequently adore, bless,
and
venerate them with the liveliest feelings of gratitude. Often
gratefully
address Jesus Crucified in these words of St. Augustine: "O Jesus! Thy
Wounds are my merits." Or in those of St. Jerome: "The Blood which
flows from Thy Wounds, O Lord, is to me the key of Heaven."

7. The Wounds of Jesus Christ have delivered
us from the slavery of the devil and of Hell. If you had been delivered
from slavery among the Turks, what love would have inflamed your heart
for the merciful benefactor who had saved you! Now, Jesus Christ has
freed
you by His Wounds
and death from the slavery of a far more
cruel and terrible tyrant---the devil. He has saved
you from the dreadful torments of Hell; what gratitude should you not
then
feel for so loving a Saviour? With what emotions of love and devotion
should
you not contemplate His most holy Wounds, which have broken asunder
your
chains, and extinguished the flames of Hell, to which you were
condemned,
by the Blood flowing from them? Cast your eyes upon Hell, and then upon
these most sacred Wounds---upon Hell, to see what
you had deserved; upon the Wounds of
Jesus, to thank Him Who has saved you from
it, and to behold in what manner He has saved you. Your creation cost
God
nothing, but your redemption cost Him Wounds, Blood, Life itself. And
can
you remain indifferent to so much goodness? Will you not frequently
kiss
those adorable Wounds with the liveliest sentiments of affection? Will
you not return earnest thanks for your liberation from eternal
damnation?
But the greatest proof of gratitude that you can offer these
Wounds---the
highest gratification you can give your wounded Redeemer, is to
endeavor
to avoid sin, which subjects you anew to the slavery of the devil, and
imperils your eternal salvation; to direct all your efforts and to seek
by every means in your power to save your soul, in order to go to
Heaven,
where you may forever bless those Wounds of love, and enjoy the
happiness
of which they are the price, in the society of the holy Angels and
Saints.
Daily adore the Wounds of your Redeemer, and protest before each of
them
that you are determined, at whatever cost, to save your soul. And if
the
devil brings to your mind the sins of your past life, and Hell claims
you
for its own because you once merited a place in its dark dungeons, look
at the Wounds of your Crucified Lord, and listen to their voice,
encouraging
you not to fear, because the Blood which flowed from them has power to
quench the flames enkindled by your sins.

8. The Wounds of Jesus Christ impart to
us strength whereby to combat our enemies. Our life on earth is a
continual
warfare. We have to fight against the devils who, by their deceits,
evil
suggestions and temptations, lay snares for us on every side, and
violently
assault and attack us in order to make us fall into sin, and thence
headlong
into Hell. The Wounds of Jesus are prefigured, according to the
Fathers,
by those five small stones which the shepherd David selected to
vanquish
and kill the giant Goliath. In like manner, when you are armed with,
and
shielded by these five Wounds, you will be enabled to triumph over all
the efforts of Hell. If you take shelter within these Wounds, as within
so many strong fortresses, the spirit of evil will have no power over
you.
The world with its flatteries, vanities, terrors and menaces, makes war
upon us without ceasing, spreads dangers in our path, lays a thousand
snares
to rob us of our innocence, and presents us at every turn with
occasions
of sin and incentives to allure us to our fall. Who will be saved where
it is so easy to be lost? He only who takes refuge in the Wounds of
Jesus.
"Here do I live secure," says St. Bernard, "here have I nought
to fear: In this harbor of refuge do I find salvation." The other enemy
of our soul is the flesh, a domestic, yet bitter enemy; disguised, but
the more powerful on that account, which by allurements and deceptive
flatteries
seeks to poison our hearts and ruin our souls for eternity. Oh, what
havoc
does not this enemy make among Christians! How many poor souls are lost
for ever through the hateful vice of impurity! Is it your desire to be
liberated from the venomous fangs of this monster? Are you anxious to
extinguish
the flames of impurity lighted up by the flesh, and to excite in your
souls
the love of holy chastity? Be devout to the Wounds of your Crucified
Lord.
It is all but impossible that any man who, in time of temptation to
sins
of the flesh, thinks of the Wounds of his Redeemer, should have the
heart
to consent to that very sin for which Jesus made satisfaction by so
many
sufferings and Wounds in His immaculate flesh. Be devout to the Wounds
of Jesus, and choose them for your dwelling-place by day and by night.
Have recourse to them with confidence in time of temptation and you
will
infallibly come off victorious. If Christians were to profess a more
tender
devotion to the holy Wounds of their Crucified Lord, they would be
stronger
against the enemies of their salvation, and would not fall so miserably
into the unhappy abyss of sin. All the Saints have experienced the
powerful
efficacy of this devotion in enabling a soul to overcome temptations.
You
also will surely experience the same if from this day you consecrate
yourself
to it.

9. The Wounds of Jesus are burning furnaces
of Charity, which inflame all hearts with the holy love of God, and are
the remedy for all our spiritual infirmities. Flames of love issue
from these Wounds, consuming all the Saints of Heaven in the burning
fire
of charity. These blessed furnaces enkindle in the Saints on earth
ardent
fires of love, ravishing their hearts. How can it be otherwise than
that
the wounded Heart of Jesus, all on fire as it is with charity, should
communicate
its blessed heat to whoever approaches it? On one occasion, St.
Catherine
of Genoa beheld in a vision the Heart of Jesus, with so many flames
issuing
from it, through the Wound in the side, that she fainted away from the
excessive warmth and unbearable heat of this blessed fire. And if such
is the effect produced by the mere contemplation of these blessed
Wounds,
which all breathe forth flames of love, what would it be if we entered
into them, and dwelt there? "Certainly," says St. Laurence Justinian,
"if
your heart were harder than adamant, the sacred fire which burns in
these
Wounds would soften it, and enkindle the flames of love within you."
Jesus
invites you to enter into His holy Wounds; draw nigh to them, then,
with
the liveliest feelings of devotion, unite your heart to them, and you
will
experience
what heavenly sweetness, what delicious consolations, they will infuse
into your soul. Then all the joys of earth will become insipid; the
love
of God alone will give pleasure and happiness, and suffering for Jesus
will be sweet and delightful. St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi once beheld
the
Blessed Virgin holding in her hand a vase, which she was filling with a
precious liquid from the side of Jesus, and this liquid was the love of
God. Do you thirst after these Heavenly waters? Approach the wounded
side
of Jesus, entertain a lively devotion toward the Wounds of your
Redeemer,
often enter into them by devout meditation, and you will find there
wherewith
to cure all your spiritual maladies, however dangerous and deep-rooted
they may be. "No!" exclaims St. Bernard, "there is no medicine more
efficacious
for healing the wounds of the soul than devotion to, and meditation
upon,
the Wounds of our Crucified God." He who attentively thinks of the
Wounds
of Jesus Christ, and meditates upon all the sufferings endured by Jesus
in these Wounds, will place a guard over his eyes, bridle his tongue,
mortifying
his taste, bring his body under subjection, repress his passions, and
refuse
to gratify the vain desires of his heart. Here may we find a remedy for
all bad habits and evil inclinations. "Give but one glance at your
Crucified
God, look at His Wounds," says St. Augustine, "if you are desirous of
being
made whole of those spiritual maladies which sin has brought upon your
soul." You are sick in body, in soul, in your powers, and in your
senses.
Jesus and His most holy Wounds are the medicine by which you may be
restored
to health. From these blessed Wounds is distilled that precious balsam
which heals all spiritual infirmities. By them is the soul comforted
and
strengthened to perform acts of virtue, to suffer willingly, and to
endure
death itself, for the love of her Lord. From them did the holy Martyrs
obtain courage and strength to suffer all their torments with undaunted
constancy.

From them did the holy penitents learn how
to endure their life-long austerities. Become acquainted, then, by your
own happy experience, with all the advantages of this devotion; enter
into
the Wounds of Jesus Christ; be most devout to them, and in them you
will
find a hidden treasure; in them all your desires will be fully
satiated,
and you will no longer set any value upon aught the world can afford
you.

10. In the last place, the Wounds of Jesus
procure us a holy death, open to us the gates of Heaven, and introduce
us into a state of everlasting glory and happiness. Our death is the
great affair which we have on hand, and on which depends a happy or a
miserable
eternity. The whole time of our existence here below is given us by God
to prepare for a holy death; and what better disposition can we have to
ensure our dying happily than that of having always professed a
constant
and tender devotion to the holy Wounds of Jesus Christ? A holy life is
the best preparation and most secure means for obtaining the happiness
of dying the death of the Saints. Now, devotion to the Wounds of Jesus
Christ causes us to lead a holy life, because these most sacred Wounds
enkindle the love of God in our souls, infuse into us a penitential
spirit,
restrain us from sin, fill us with hope, stimulate us to virtue, render
us strong against our enemies, and impart all possible good to the
soul.
Therefore, through this devotion, that is to say, through the Wounds of
our Crucified Lord, which we have loved, venerated, and adored in life,
we shall surely obtain a holy death. For this reason is it that the
Wounds
of our Redeemer are styled by St. Bonaventure, The gates of Heaven,
because
it is through them that the devout soul passes into eternal glory. St.
Edmund, when about to die, asked for a Crucifix, and kissed its Wounds,
saying, "Behold the wood on which I hope to reach the port of eternal
salvation";
and very shortly after he went to receive the reward of his hope, and
of
the devotion which he had always felt towards those most holy Wounds. A
like happy fate may be hoped for by all who are truly devout to the
Wounds
of their Crucified Lord. Oh, what consolation will be theirs at the
hour
of death, when the blessed Crucifix is presented to them! Oh, what
confidence
of salvation will be awakened in their hearts on beholding those Wounds
into which they have so often entered in spirit during life, and which
have ever been the dearest objects of their affections and of their
devotion.
The sight of the Crucifix will sweeten the sorrows of death, give us
strength
to bear all its accompanying sufferings, and mitigate the horrors of
our
last agony. The most holy Wounds of Jesus will strengthen, console, and
comfort the soul in its last tremendous journey, and will introduce it
into the joys of Heaven. Happy the soul which, by means of such slight
homage offered to the Wounds of Jesus---by means
of a little devotion and affection bestowed upon the Wounds of so
loving
a Redeemer---thus enters into possession of eternal,
infinite, everlasting happiness! If you desire so enviable a fate,
consecrate
yourself from this day to devotion to the Wounds of Jesus Crucified;
let
it be your chosen devotion, and let not a day pass without offering
your
sincerest homage to these adorable Wounds, dedicated yourself to their
love and veneration, and renewing your determination to persevere
therein
to the end of your life. In them you find a rule whereby you may
regulate
your whole life, and the means of sanctifying your every action. Listen
to the words of Jesus Himself. St. Mechtildis, being one day engaged in
the contemplation of the Wounds of her Redeemer, was filled with a most
earnest desire to know what she could do in their honor that would give
the greatest satisfaction to the Heart of Jesus. Our blessed Lord spoke
to her, and gave her the following useful lesson: "In return for the
Wounds
of My feet, thou must offer Me all thy affections and desires; for the
Wounds of My hands, thou must offer Me thy works; for the Wounds of My
side, thou must offer Me perfect conformity of thy will with Mine." Can
any Christian who lives in this manner, lead any other than the life of
a Saint? Can he die any other than the death of the Saints? Put this
lesson
of Our Lord into practice, while you are reciting the Rosary of the
Five
most holy Wounds of Jesus our Redeemer.